Top holdings support these high-yield REITs

Article Excerpt

ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $38 (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Units outstanding: 85.0 million; Market cap: $3.2 billion; Dividend yield: 4.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.alliedreit.com) owns 156 office buildings, mainly in major Canadian cities. Most of those properties are classified as Class I buildings, and together they comprise over 11.7 million square feet of leasable area. Class I refers to 19th and early-20th-century industrial buildings that are now used as office space. They often have exposed beams and brick walls, and hardwood floors. Allied’s occupancy rate is 92.6%. With the January 2017 payment, the REIT raised its monthly distribution by 2.0%. The annualized distribution of $1.53 per unit yields a high 4.0%. In the 24 months ended March 31, 2017, Allied’s payout ratio was 69.2%. The REIT continues to grow steadily by acquisition. In the first quarter of 2017, it spent $14.0 million buying two properties in downtown Toronto. Thanks partly to those purchases, Allied’s revenue in the quarter increased 8.8%,…